{"id":19509,"date":"2016-01-08T00:44:02","date_gmt":"2016-01-07T16:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/planetary-resources-shows-off-hardware-thats-3-d-printed-from-real-asteroid-metal\/"},"modified":"2016-01-08T00:44:02","modified_gmt":"2016-01-07T16:44:02","slug":"planetary-resources-shows-off-hardware-thats-3-d-printed-from-real-asteroid-metal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/planetary-resources-shows-off-hardware-thats-3-d-printed-from-real-asteroid-metal\/","title":{"rendered":"Planetary Resources shows off hardware that\u2019s 3-D printed from real asteroid metal"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_221403\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-221403\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-221403 size-full-width\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid1-630x466.png\" alt=\"3-D printing with asteroid metal\" width=\"630\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid1-630x466.png 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid1-768x568.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid1-1240x917.png 1240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-221403\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This spacecraft prototype was created on a 3-D printer using metal from a meteorite found in Argentina. The object is sitting on the part of the meteorite that was left over. (Credit: Planetary Resources)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A palm-sized prototype spacecraft is the first geometric object to be 3-D printed from asteroid metal, Redmond-based Planetary Resources says.<\/p>\n<p>The shiny object is being shown off at the International CES show in Las Vegas to boost Planetary Resources\u2019 vision of mining precious materials from near-Earth asteroids. The feat also gives a&nbsp;boost&nbsp;to&nbsp;3D Systems\u2019 direct metal printer.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-full wp-image-188079 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/pluto1.png\" alt=\"pluto\" width=\"250\" height=\"189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/pluto1.png 250w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/pluto1-200x151.png 200w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/pluto1-132x100.png 132w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\"><br \/>\n<strong>Science journalist Alan Boyle<\/strong>&nbsp;is the author of &#8220;The Case for Pluto: How a Little Planet Made A Big Difference.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really an eye-opener for people,\u201d Planetary Resources\u2019 president and CEO, Chris Lewicki, told GeekWire.<\/p>\n<p>How was it done? First, find an&nbsp;asteroid. You don\u2019t need to leave Earth to do that. Planetary Resources took advantage of the metal from a meteorite that was found at the Campo del Cielo impact site in Argentina. The ingredients include iron, nickel and cobalt&nbsp;\u2013 the same stuff found in refinery-grade steel.<\/p>\n<p>In a blog post, Planetary Resources says the metal was pulverized and powdered, then processed on 3D Systems\u2019 ProX DMP 320 direct metal printer. The 3-D printer spreads out layers of metal dust and zaps them with a laser, layer by layer, to build up the finished object.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"3D Systems ProX\u2122 DMP 320\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7ozjI6PV6zA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The resulting object looks like an network of scaffolding and mini-thrusters. It\u2019s \u201creminiscent of a design that could originate from a 3-D print in the zero-gravity environment of space,\u201d Planetary Resources says.<\/p>\n<p>Planetary Resources is developing families of spacecraft to identify promising asteroids and eventually go out and mine them. A prototype infrared telescope, dubbed the Arkyd 6, is due to go into orbit later this year. There won\u2019t be any 3-D printing done on the Arkyd 6, but someday spacecraft will have to fabricate metal structures for replacement parts or construction elements.<\/p>\n<p>Astronauts on the International Space Station are already experimenting with plastic 3-D printing \u2013 and Lewicki told GeekWire that his company is heavily into 3-D printing over in Redmond.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe use a lot of it around the shop for prototyping,\u201d he said. Soon, 3-D printed parts will make their way into Planetary Resources\u2019 flight-ready spacecraft.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_221427\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-221427\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-221427 size-full-width\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid2-630x455.png\" alt=\"3-D printed object using space metal\" width=\"630\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid2-630x455.png 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid2-768x555.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/160107-asteroid2.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-221427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The 3-D printed object sits on a plate engraved with the logos of Planetary Resources and 3D Systems. (Credit: Planetary Resources)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In-space metal fabrication is more complex, but it\u2019s a key part of the business model for Planetary Resources as well as for Deep Space Industries, another asteroid mining venture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith infinite resources, you really have infinite possibilities,\u201d Lewicki said.<\/p>\n<p>Planetary Resources expects that the first resource to be mined from asteroids will be water, for use in the production of rocket fuel as well as drinking supplies and breathable oxygen for future space crews. But eventually, the company plans to go after precious metals as well. Who knows? Someday asteroid miners may be 3-D printing low-density lumps&nbsp;of platinum foam for delivery down to Earth.<\/p>\n<p><em>Planetary Resources is hiring. For more high-tech job opportunities, check GeekWork.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This spacecraft prototype was created on a 3-D printer using metal from a meteorite found in Argentina. The object is sitting on the part of the meteorite that was left over. (Credit: Planetary Resources) A palm-sized prototype spacecraft is the first geometric object to be 3-D printed from asteroid metal, Redmond-based Planetary Resources says. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4585,4927,1519,4820],"class_list":["post-19509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-3-d-printing","tag-asteroid-mining","tag-asteroids","tag-planetary-resources"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19509\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}